This
first-hand report from British Columbia is by a member of a radical group
called Fightback.

On Monday, October 17 tens of
thousands of trade unionists brought the capital city of BritishColumbia to a
grinding halt. Victoria
was closed for business as a regional general strike in support of the British
Columbia Teachers Federation crippled the city. The strike culminated in a
massive demonstration at the BC legislature. The comrades of Fightback were
there on this historic day.

As we drove into the city, the
magnitude of the event became clear. There were picket lines everywhere. Every
public sector office was behind a picket line. Every school, every grocery
store was closed.

The march began at Centennial Square
and headed toward the legislature. We met the demonstration at the rally site.
You could hear the drums banging and crowd cheering from several city blocks
away. As the crowd came into view on Government
Street, it was a truly awe-inspiring sight. A wall
of people, filling a four-lane street was heading toward the legislature. The
rear of the march arrived an hour and a half later than the front. This
demonstration may be the largest in the history of Victoria.

As the government met inside,
50,000 people stood on the lawns, chanting “General Strike! General
Strike!” Many labor leaders addressed the crowd, including Jinny Sims,
president of the BC Teachers Federation, and Jim Sinclair, president of the BC
Federation of Labour.

Sinclair announced another regional
general strike for Wednesday.

The BC Federation of Labour has
planned regional general strikes throughout the week. Rumor has it, that the
schedule has Vancouver
out on Friday and an all-out, province-wide general strike to begin Monday,
October 24.